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58
As might be expected, the Dispensary sessions have
been considerably longer this year owing to the fact that
one medical officer instead of two has been in attendance.
To avoid patients having to wait for a long time, it
has been the practice of the Tuberculosis Officer in many
cases to specify the hour of appointment for examination
on session days.
Statistics for 1932.
During the year 1932, the number of new cases from
ail sources was 505, of which 203 were directly referred
by private practitioners and 110 by medical authorities
and departments : the remainder having no regular doctor,
coming upon their own initiative or on the advice of
other patients and friends.
The number of patients on the register at the end
of the year 1932 totalled 858, a decrease of 45 on the previous
year's figures, and accounted for by deaths, transfers
and discharges as "recovered" in accordance with the
Ministry of Health regulations.
In connection with cases discharged it may be noted
that in accordance with the Regulations, a classification
as "recovered" (formerly "cured") can only be adopted
in pulmonary cases if the patient has been in an arrested
state for a period of three consecutive years : whilst the
term "arrested" is only applicable to those patients who
have shewn no indication ol' active disease,—that is
"quiescent" for a period of two years.
Thus actually if a patient is once notified as suffering
from Pulmonary Tuberculosis (unless denotified by or
with the consent of the notifying practitioner) he cannot
be discharged as "recovered" within a period of five
years.
These regulations are effective and constant under
all authorities, both urban and rural and together with
modern Dispensary procedure constitute a uniform and
therefore interchangeable Tuberculosis system throughout
the country.